


training montage

by exprsslyfrbidden



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, In later chapters that is, Smut, Sword Fighting, Themyscira, cool action scenes, the Amazons - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-11 11:55:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11147886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exprsslyfrbidden/pseuds/exprsslyfrbidden
Summary: "You need specialized training," Diana declares. Kara's eyes widen. "You're coming to Themyscira with me."It gets increasingly difficult to remember that she's there to train when Diana's there, looking the image of a goddess and smiling in a way that makes Kara's knees weak.Kara learns a lot from Diana: sword fighting, horseback riding, how to properly eat a girl out...but most importantly, that love is never where you expect it.





	1. double-edged sword

Kara keeps dropping the sword and punching people, and Diana is not pleased. 

  
“Kara!” The Amazon storms into the middle of the fight and catches her mid-punch. Kara has the gall to look indignant. “This is called  _ sword fighting  _ for a reason.” She snatches up Kara’s fallen blade, lying in the grass several feet away. “You let her disarm you too quickly.” 

 

“Because I don’t need a sword!” Kara exclaims. “I can bend steel with my hands. There’s no point in fighting with it.” 

 

“And if you’re exposed to Kryptonite?” Diana arches a brow and Kara has no argument, only grumbles. “Again. Do not let your blade go lightly; it may mean the difference between life and death.” 

 

She tries, she really does. But habit is hard to break and within a few blows she’s disarmed. The Amazon she’s facing swings down with a savage blow and Kara throws her arm up to block. 

  
The sword bends around her upraised forearm until it resembles more scythe than longsword. 

 

“Again,” Diana commands, but this time she steps up, sword in hand. Kara huffs, but does as told when Diana’s tone sharpens. “Pick up your sword, Kara.”

 

Kara won’t lie. She’s been dropping her sword on purpose more, to see how much it’ll take for Diana to step into the ring with her. She’s eager to test her mettle against the princess of the Amazons, eager to experience the steel behind that pretty face firsthand. Naϊve, reckless bluster stretches a grin across her face. 

 

Diana doesn’t say anything. She just attacks. 

 

And Kara parries, feet scuffing in the dirt at the force of it. Each blow, swift and powerful, pushes her back. Diana’s strong, stronger than any Amazon she’s faced so far and enough to give her cousin a run for his money. 

 

But Kara’s stronger than Kal-El. 

 

Kara rebounds on quick feet, swinging the blade with a beginner’s impetuosity and reckless with excitement. A high overhand sends Diana sliding back in the dirt. The sun, proud and blazing in the clear blue sky, glints off their blades. 

 

Kara’s still holding back; the swords complain at the force and sparks fly as she pushes. “Better,” Diana grunts, and forces Kara back with a violent push. She stumbles back and avoids a lightning-fast swipe, the point of Diana’s blade swinging by her arm by centimeters. 

 

“I told you,” Kara grins, feeling sweat meander down her back. She lunges for another attack.

 

She never sees it coming. 

 

Diana sweeps Kara’s legs out from under her and her back hits the ground. Air bursts from her lungs and her vision swims. A sharp point rests on the soft skin of her throat. She swallows. 

 

Sunlight halos Diana’s head, dark hair tumbling around her shoulders. A familiar attraction, made no less by the tousled quality of the Amazon’s appearance, warms Kara’s cheeks. 

 

“Told me what, Kara?” There’s no anger there, only dry amusement. “You fought well, but recklessly. If there were innocents to be saved, would you have done the same?” 

 

Kara hates the way Diana can back her into corners even in a round room. “No,” she mutters at the sky. The sword never wavers at her throat, a reminder that she’s not here to make eyes at Diana. She’s here to train. 

 

“Then don’t waste my time here with games.” Diana sheathes the sword. Kara breathes again. “Go. Take a break.” She casts a gaze over her shoulder that Kara wishes she could misinterpret. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some quick stuff I churned out for funsies. lemme know if you liked it @feveredreams.tumblr.com
> 
> comment if Wonder Woman dir. Patty Jenkins was the highlight of your life


	2. shields down

Kara slides the ruined circle of metal off her arm. “I don’t get it,” she mutters, rubbing her forearm. There are bruises, already fading, but bruises nonetheless. She’s taken to training with only Diana, the only other person on the island with the same impermeability and strength. “Why do you fight with such ancient tactics? You don’t reach for a sword when you’re in Metropolis or New York. So why teach me this?”

 

“It’s not so much the specifics,” Diana says, “as the rudimentary ideas.” She finishes polishing her shield — untouched, still shining — and sets it on the rack. “Fighting with sword and shield set the basics. They are the mental foundation to a strong fighter.” She takes Kara’s ruined shield, smoothing out some dents with her fingers. “You fight with your fists. There’s nothing wrong with that. But at times you may need more than just that to defeat your enemies.” 

 

Kara won’t argue with that. She watches Diana fix the shield as best she can before leaving it to the blacksmiths. “What was life like before you came to Man’s World?” As always, that frustrating attraction feeds the fire of her curiosity. “Who trained you?” 

 

A few Amazons hail them as they leave the armory and they both wave back. “The commander of the army at the time, Antiope.” There’s a look of sweet memory on Diana’s face when she speaks of her, gazing up at the few scattered clouds in the sapphire sky. “She was the best the Amazons ever knew. She trained me, even when my mother forbade me to.” 

 

“Why not?” Kara’s aware that she’s showing her plebeian status now more than ever, but she’s curious. She knows almost nothing of Diana’s past, and precious little about her present. 

 

“She sought to protect me from Ares.” Kara follows as Diana leads them back to the palace. “She believed that the more I trained, the easier he would find me. She wanted me to live a happy life. Run around like a princess, ride horses and play in the fields. Court girls and learn to sew.” A sad, mournful smile. “All of which I did, no doubt. But Antiope taught me how to fight, and for that I will be forever grateful.”

 

Kara’s aware that Diana rarely talks about her past and she aches to learn more — but she’s fixated a couple sentences back, at “court girls and learn how to sew”. 

 

“Court girls?” she asks, not sure how else to broach the subject. 

 

Diana gives her an amused look. “Themyscira has no men, Kara.” she chuckles. “What do you think we did, wait for them?”

 

Kara’s blush deepens but she forges on. “No, I know,” she mumbles, “but I didn’t.. _ know  _ know.” She continues to babble at Diana’s amused expression. “I mean I get it! I’m — I’m bisexual, too, I’m not judging or anything, it’s just nice to, I dunno. Know for real.”

 

Diana observes this reaction. “I forget that you have such labels,” she admits, when Kara’s got a hold of her tongue again. “It makes no sense to divide by how you love.” 

 

“Tell me about it,” Kara mutters. “It’s a real mess.”

 

“But getting better.” Diana’s eyes flash with something Kara’s never seen before. “I believe it is now legal for us to get married in America?” 

 

Kara splutters and turns red and Diana just laughs. “We — us — you mean —  _ what _ ?” 

 

“A joke, Kara.” Diana’s  _ teasing.  _ That’s what that is. “Breathe.”

 

“Okay,” Kara manages, strangled. Easy for  _ her  _ to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more to come!


	3. sidesaddle

“I know how to ride a horse!” Kara exclaims, and promptly tumbles off her steed.

 

“I can tell,” Diana calls, grinning.

 

Kara grumbles as she picks herself up, brushing dirt from her hair. “It was a long time ago.” And she was never any good at it; it was before she’d learned how to control herself properly and horses were skittish around her raw power. At least this one — a sweet, shadow gray saddle horse named Bruin — is gentle. “Hold on, I got it.”

 

Diana waits for her to get situated before leading off on a trot. Kara attempts to follow; it’s much harder without the Amazon there to guide. “Taking your time?” Diana calls when she catches up.

 

“Yup,” Kara returns, hair windswept. Golden flowers and green blades brush the bottoms of their feet. “Just enjoying the view.”

 

She genuinely means it; Themyscira is beautiful, even with the day’s cloudy skies. But she’s looking at Diana when she says it, and the knowing smile sent her way leaves her redder than her cape. “I see.”

 

Kara hates how she’s always blushing around Diana. It makes her feel teenage and unsteady, forever on her toes and made reckless by the force of her adoration. It’s not her fault Diana of Themyscira is so alluring, so beautiful and brilliant. She’s a goddess, Kara reasons. It’s only natural to be a little in love with her.

 

“When we ride, we become attuned to the needs and feelings of our steed. They are animals, and have sharper instincts than we do — they can often tell when there is danger even when we can’t sense it.” Diana strokes the flank of her steed, a shining black mare named Actaeon. “Trust your horse, and never let your guard down. To ride carelessly is to invite certain injury.”

 

Kara doesn’t like the sound of that. When Diana starts talking about what to do and what not to do, it usually means there’s a surprise coming up.

 

“Imagine that I am the enemy,” Diana says, wheeling her mount around to face Kara. They’ve stopped at the edge of the forest, dappled shade falling across Diana’s face. The clouds shift and Kara blinks in the sudden sun. “And you are chasing me.”

 

She doesn’t give more than that. Diana turns and disappears into the forest, tossing a sharp grin behind her. Kara feels her heart jump, and she tunes in to the sound of hoofbeats on soil. Bruin responds to her guidance, albeit slower than Diana’s mount, and she plunges into the wood.

 

Kara can ride, yes; her specialty is straight lines and packed earth. Diana leads her on a winding dirt path, twists and turns slowing her until she loses sight of the midnight black horse through the trees. “Dammit,” Kara mutters, urging Bruin on.

 

When she emerges into a shady clearing, the Amazon is nowhere to be seen. Actaeon gives Kara a dismissing glance and goes back to grazing. Kara scans the surrounding forest. “Diana?” No response. Must be another test.

 

Kara nudges Bruin forward. There’s a footpath on the opposite side of the clearing; perhaps Diana had taken that. Bruin whinnies and refuses, hooves stamping. Kara frowns, glancing around. Diana’s words are fresh in her mind. “What is it, Bruin?” She nudges him forward again and he dances away, huffing.

 

A strange shade of grass; Kara sees it as soon as she realizes what she’s looking for. A pitfall trap. X-ray vision guides their way around the clearing, and she dismounts near Diana’s steed.

 

“You’re learning,” Diana calls, from the other side, where she came from.

 

Kara’s just begun to smile at the praise when Diana charges her.

 

Drawing the sword is awkward and she barely has time to bring it up to defend herself. Sparks blind her and Diana scores a shallow line on her collarbone. It stings and Kara backs away, half shocked. “Ow,” she mumbles, touching the cut. Blood. “You cut me.”

 

“That’s what swords do.” Diana’s teasing her again. Kara fights the blush. “You won’t always be able to rely on your powers.”

 

Kara doesn’t know how Diana’s doing it, but she doesn’t want to find out how far that sword can go. She lifts hers again, shuffling into a fighting position. “Fine. Again.”

 

Diana charges again and Kara blocks her first blow. It sends sharp vibrations down Kara’s arm and she almost drops the blade. Only the threat of Diana’s sword stops her. Diana is fast and relentless and Kara’s stumbling back, stuck on defending herself and nothing else. It’s hard to look for an opening when she’s afraid of the blade, desperate to avoid getting cut again.

 

“Fight me,” Diana growls, pressing forward. “I am the _enemy,_ Kara, and all you can do is parry?”

 

Kara shoves her next strike back, sending Diana back a few steps. A lunge, wild and breathless, slices across Diana’s cheek. When Kara falters at the sight, the Amazon scores another cut on her arm. Kara staggers back, clutching the new cut. She knows what Diana’s going to say to that, and doesn’t give her the chance.

 

Or at least she tries. Kara rushes her and finds her feet swept out from under her again. The sword goes spinning out of her hand. Desperation, sweet and sharp, lends a hand and she scrambles to her knees in time to realize she’s screwed. Diana’s sword swings toward her like inevitability.

 

She does the next best thing; after all, it’s better to break the rules than to die, right?

 

Tackling Diana is like hitting a boulder full strength. It knocks the air out of both of them and sends them tumbling across the clearing….

 

...straight into the pitfall trap.

 

Kara feels the ground dissolve under them and reacts.

 

She’s staring down at the hole in the ground twenty feet below them when Diana speaks. “I appreciate the save, Kara, but you can let me go.” There’s a smile in her voice and it’s very, very close to Kara’s ear.

 

This blush is enough to rival all previous ones.

 

Kara’s carrying Diana bridal style — a _reflex_ , of course — and she quickly returns to the ground to set the Amazon down.

 

“Sorry,” she apologizes, breathing hard. “It was a reflex.” Her hands are reluctant to let Diana go, body aching at the comforting warmth of the other woman. Kara flexes her fingers in an attempt to relax.

 

“No need to be sorry.” Diana’s gaze is almost curious. “You defended yourself.” A spark of amusement. “And saved me.”

 

Kara steps away, away from the alluring heat of Diana’s body and the curve of her smile. “Like I said,” she mutters at the ground. “Just a reflex.”

 

Diana gives her a strange look, but doesn’t press it. “Very well.” The smile returns to her face, teasing and bright. “Race you back to the stables!”


	4. shot through the heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, you guys are gonna love this one.

Kara lets go of the first arrow without looking and it flies into the sky, disappearing into the billowing field of gray clouds overhead. “Whoops.” 

 

“Patience, Kara,” Diana chides, raising her own bow. “You don’t need to worry about pulling the bowstring or your arms getting tired, so focus.” She draws the arrow back smoothly, fletched end by her eye. “Breathe, and release.” She exhales and the arrow flows with her breath, flying straight and true. 

 

Kara scowls at the bullseye, split with Diana’s arrow, and nocks another arrow. This one flies straighter, but still misses the target, splintering the rock face behind it. She releases another one, which goes too low this time. She huffs, wondering if setting the target on fire with laser vision counts as anything.

 

Diana is abruptly behind her, too close for a humid, windless day with clouds that do nothing for the heat. Her hands are cool on Kara’s wrists. “Like this,” she murmurs, voice low in Kara’s ear. The metal of her armor presses hot on Kara’s bare back, the swells of her breasts leaving her more dizzy than alcohol. “Kara,” she prompts.

 

“Y-yeah,” Kara stutters, raising the bow quickly. Diana’s left hand guides Kara’s, forearms aligned and taut against each other. “Like this?” she asks, breathless. 

 

“Don’t forget your form,” Diana reminds, and nudges her legs further apart with her foot. Kara swallows and resists the urge to wipe sweat from her forehead. Her heart pounds, breath going quick. Diana sounds like she’s on the verge of smiling before her voice turns strict. “Focus, Kara.” 

 

“Right,” Kara breathes. Diana must not be aware of how  _ impossible  _ that is at the moment. Ask anybody else to “focus” with the princess of the Amazons pressed up against their back and those strong fingers guiding their hands. She bets even Batman would forget at least  _ some  _ words. “Focus,” she repeats, dubious. 

 

Kara draws the arrow back to her ear, feeling Diana’s fingers press gently on her pulse. The bowstring is complacent, offering bare resistance in the face of her strength, but Diana slows her. She draws it back languidly, as if relishing the pull and stretch. “Pay attention to the feeling of the bow,” Diana murmurs. Kara can feel the powerful muscle in the Amazon’s shoulder behind her, can sense the steel there underneath soft skin. “Listen to the wood, hear it.” 

 

Kara does. The bow groans under the weight, wood squeaking. The humidity softens it, brings a gentler sound when she draws the arrow back further. She can hear Diana’s heartbeat, steady and calming behind her.

 

“Feel it arch under your fingers,” Diana whispers in her ear. Her tone is in no way instructional, and Kara has to stifle a shiver. “The way it bends, the way it stretches and waits for you to give it release.”

 

_ Oh, that’s not fair at all.  _ Kara’s next breath is shuddery and she hates it. 

 

The target stands stoically fifty feet away, blue and red and white taunting. Kara squints. Diana nudges her aim higher, until the tip of the arrow just brushes the top of the target. 

 

“Now,” Diana whispers in her ear, black locks brushing her shoulders, and Kara lets go. 

 

The arrow lodges in the center of the target and Kara exhales, shaky. She lowers the bow but Diana doesn’t step away, only releases her gentle hold on Kara’s wrists. “Thanks,” Kara says, face burning from a combination of the humidity and embarrassment. The majority comes from Diana’s close proximity, though, and the fact that she’s  _ still  _ very close. 

 

Diana shakes her head, smiling. “You have the ability to do these things, Kara. I just guided you. You just need to take some time to think each action through.” 

 

There are probably stars in Diana’s eyes, Kara decides, dazed. Whole constellations, spinning like diamonds in that dark gaze. “Mmhmm.” She allows herself one sneaky glance at the Amazon’s mouth, the perfect cupid’s bow of her lips, before dragging her attention back up. Her heart leaps in a wild panic; Diana’s looking at her. 

 

And it’s knowing amusement that feeds the smirk on her face. “Again,” she murmurs, still smirking. “Until you run out of arrows.”

 

Kara nods wordlessly and turns back. She almost snaps the arrow in half as she draws it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? I made myself gayer just writing it, so...lemme know how you feel.


	5. close quarters

“Are you sure I’m ready?” Kara asks, when she sees the circle drawn in the dirt and the Amazons gathered around it. Diana waits for her hesitation to resolve into words. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

 

“I trust you.” Kara begins to change into the sleeveless tunic worn for grappling, still unsure. “And by extension, the Amazons do as well.” Diana raises a delicate eyebrow. “If anything, this will be a test of restraint and control.”

 

Kara tugs at the hem of her tunic, watching her opponent begin to lather herself with oil. “Is that necessary?” She’s not sure she wants to be all greasy and then roll around in the dirt. The goal may be to keep from getting pinned to the ground, but Kara’s sure that she’s going to be on her back more than she’d like.

 

The unintended innuendo is distracting and she doesn’t hear Diana’s response until it’s too late: “Of course it is. Just relax.”

 

And then, gods _above_ (something she’s picked up from Diana), the princess of the Amazons begins to rub oil on her arms.

 

Kara flails and almost knocks the pot of oil out of Diana’s hands. “Oh my _god_ I can do it myself thanks I appreciate it —”

 

Diana gives her a quizzical look, mirth sparkling in her eyes. “Very well.” She hands the oil over to a red-faced Kara. “If you prefer.”

 

Kara _does_ prefer it, very much so, because she cannot afford to be a stammering hot mess right before she wrestles some of the greatest warriors on the planet. _If Diana offers any other time_ , Kara thinks to herself, _the word ‘no’ won’t be in my vocabulary._

 

She lets oil drip on her legs and lathers it into her skin until she’s shining, the rich smell of olives and basil rising from her body. “I feel like pasta,” she mutters, handing the pot of oil back to Diana.

 

“I’m sure you’d be delicious,” Diana says, utterly serious. Kara chokes. Diana nods to the circle in the dirt. “Ready?”

 

Kara’s never been less ready, but she squares her shoulders anyways and steps into the ring.

 

The first two matches pass without much incident, leaving Kara with one loss and one win. She’s right; the feeling of gritty fine dirt stuck to her skin is almost worse than finding sand where it shouldn’t belong. But it keeps her on her toes and she’s sure that without it, she might cause real damage to the women she’s fighting.

 

It’s the third match, drawn out and dusty, that gets to her. The Amazon, Aella, manages to knock the air from Kara’s lungs and springs on her, trying to take her down. Kara’s heavier and larger than the slight warrior but far less agile, and trying to pin Aella down is like catching the tide.

 

The Amazons are cheering and shouting; this is more game than training for them, and Kara can hear Diana’s voice rise above the din. “Don’t hold back, Kara!”

 

If that’s how it’s going to be, then. Kara puts on a burst of speed and manages to get a grip around Aella’s arm, flipping her with ease. She dives forward into a roll and springs back up, not wasting a snarl before leaping back at Kara. Kara meets her this time, and they grapple for leverage in the rising dust. The battle is lost, however, and Aella knows it; Kara’s gotten her feet back under her.

 

Still she fights, twisting Kara’s arm and sending them both tumbling. Kara lunges and they twist and scrabble in the dirt, eyes watering with the grit and hands slick with oil. Kara’s got Aella under her and the Amazons are counting down, voices raised in jubilance, and then — Kara imagines that it’s —

 

_— Diana under her, writhing but for very different reasons, bodies gleaming with sweat instead of oil, her thick black hair splayed out and tousled, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open in a wordless gasp, arms flexing, grasping at Kara’s hips and back arching —_

 

— she blinks up at the dreary gray sky, dazed. It looks like rain. “Are you all right, Kara?” Aella frowns down at her. “You just stopped.”

 

Kara finds herself at a loss for words, staggering to her feet. “I’m — I’m fine,” she manages. “Got distracted.”

 

Diana’s gaze is concerned when Kara retrieves a waterskin from the sideline. “Are you all right, Kara?”

 

Kara nods, not trusting her words as she gulps water. “I’m fine,” she mutters, avoiding Diana’s gaze. “I just got distracted. That’s my fault.” Rain begins to patter down, fat drops shining in the dry dust. The crowd starts to dissipate, covering metal armor and blades from the water.

 

Diana’s hand on her shoulder makes Kara freeze. “Kara, you don’t get distracted.” It’s a statement, made with confidence after three weeks of training. “What happened?”

 

Kara shakes her head sharply. The rain begins to come down harder, dirt turning to mud beneath their feet. Rivulets of water run down Kara’s arms, washing the dirt off. “It’s nothing,” she says. “Really. We should get inside, it’s coming down pretty hard.” Her tunic is getting soaked. The rain feels good after the heat of the past few days, but she doesn’t know how much longer she can look Diana in the eye and not do anything.

 

Diana ignores the increasing intensity of the downpour, brushing wet hair out of her face. “Kara. Don’t lie to me.”

 

It’s a half threat — Kara remembers the glowing golden lasso — but more concern, a plea for trust.

 

Kara gives her a smile through the rain. “I’m not,” she lies. “Don’t worry about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, it's just a light dash of angst before the fun stuff begins. 
> 
> also, would you guys like me to write a smut scene for them? I'm down if you guys are. Lemme know.


	6. the art of war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Diana have a...talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as per suggested, I rewrote some parts to draw it out, because Diana flustering Kara is something I'm never gonna get tired of. So smut to come...eventually. You'll have to wait it out and suffer just like Kara is XD

Diana sends for Kara and meets her in the inner sanctum of her bedroom.

 

The pounding thunderstorm outside is a dull roar here, where a hearth flickers with a suffusing fire. Smooth marble walls are draped with tapestries, the wall opposite the door turned into shelves to fit a veritable library of books. Diana is at her oak desk. From what Kara can see, she's penning a letter in scrawling, smooth Themysciran calligraphy. “You sent for me?” Kara asks, half in the door and half out. Diana glances up, smile small but genuine.

 

“I did. Please, come in.” She rises when the door closes behind Kara, sliding her letter to the side. “You’ve been training here for almost a month.” The corner of her mouth quirks up. “Clark wants to know if you feel enlightened.” She’s not wearing armor and that takes Kara by surprise; still, the billowing cloth of her robes somehow fails to hide her figure.

 

Kara blinks, back against the hard wood of the door. “Enlightened? I mean — yes, I guess, that’s — that’s one way to say it.”

 

“How would you put it?” Diana inquires, an almost smirk on her lips. “Educated?”

 

Kara struggles to find the words. “Um...yeah, educated. Or, um, informed.” She walks further into the room, drawn by Diana’s disarming smile. “I had a great teacher, of course.”

 

“And I a great student,” Diana returns, eyes dark. The fire sends warm shadows across the room and Kara notices the large bed set in the wall, the blankets luxurious and soft. Diana’s voice is quiet, but Kara can hear every word. “Tell me, Kara. Why did you lie?”

 

Kara stiffens and turns her gaze to the dancing flames in the hearth. “I don’t—”

 

“Kara,” Diana says, disapproving. “Please don’t insult my intelligence.”

 

They’re at a stalemate. Kara bites her lip and considers the truth. It’s only a small crush — this little attraction that burns brighter than fire — but Kara thinks that she’s okay with going her entire life without experiencing rejection from the mouth of a literal goddess.

 

“You’re young, Kara,” Diana observes. “Why do you assume the worst of things?”

 

Kara glances at her, confused. “What does that mean?”

 

“You assume that I don’t reciprocate.” Diana meets her stunned gaze evenly. “Why?”

 

“I —” Kara flounders, wordless. “You _don’t_.” A statement, made out of desperate disbelief.

 

“According to whom?” Diana asks, mirth gleaming in her eyes. “Don’t tell me. Bruce is making vague, unfounded claims again.”

 

Kara blinks. “What?”

 

Diana shakes her head, smiling. “Kara, there’s nothing wrong with attraction, or not being able to control it.” Her smile is gentle, tinged at the edges with teasing light. “That’s what makes it fun, of course.”

 

“Fun,” Kara repeats. She’s following, but doesn’t seem to be hearing things right. “You’re saying that you... _reciprocate._ ”

 

Diana regards her with fond amusement. “I am.”

 

“Oh.” Kara doesn’t know what to make of this information. Her eyes light up. “Is this another test?”

 

It’s Diana’s turn to be speechless. “No,” she finally says, perplexed. “Kara, I would never do that.” She pauses. “You’d be surprised at how similar making love is to fighting, though.”

 

Kara coughs. If anything, the fire has shrunk; why is it so hot in here? “ _Making_ _love_?”

 

“Yes.” Diana eyes her red cheeks curiously. “Have you never —”

 

“No, I have, it’s just that nobody’s really called it that, and you’re so” — Kara takes a breath — “ _amazing_ and I don’t know what you want me to do now that I know you _reciprocate._ ”

 

Thunder rumbles outside, the ire of the clouds shaking the earth. Diana glances at the window. “You tell me,” she murmurs. “We’re stuck inside for the rest of the day. Nothing to do.” The lightness in her voice is deliberate.

 

Kara swallows. “You’re training me,” she mumbles, the words stuck in her throat. “If...making love is like fighting, then it — it’s only beneficial that you teach me that as well.”

 

Diana’s grin is wolfish. “What a coincidence,” she murmurs, moving close. Her gaze slides down Kara’s face, settling on her mouth. “I agree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand cliffhanger! We'll see what happens, shall we?
> 
> also, they really need a ship name. Anybody got anything?


	7. ready,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> patience is a virtue

“Remember to breathe,” Diana murmurs, because Kara hasn’t taken a breath in several minutes.

 

 _How?_ Kara wonders, and doesn’t realize she’s said it aloud until she feels Diana’s smirk against the back of her neck.

 

“Very flattering, Kara.” Diana’s smile is sharp and her kisses send rippling shivers out from each point of contact. “It’s not going to get you out of this any faster, though.”

 

Kara’s lying on her front, all her armor and robes discarded on the floor by Diana’s bed. The first volume about properly enjoying and experiencing the pleasures of the flesh is open on the beside table.

 

Diana is straddling Kara’s thighs, dressed in naught but her underclothes. They’re learning “the buildup”, as it’s named in the first volume, that leads to “making love”. Kara still can’t get over that; just thinking the words makes her shiver.

 

“What do I want to get out of?” Kara asks, head fuzzy from Diana’s mouth. The fire is still burning and the storm dulls her senses to the outside world; all she can focus on, senses spiraling towards a single point, is _Diana_.

 

“The first volume is about touch,” Diana tells her, “and sensations of the skin.” She lays a line of kisses down Kara’s spine, stopping just above the curve of her ass. Kara squirms, and Diana’s voice drops low. “There are the typical erogenous zones, of course. But there are some that require a touch of... _finesse._ ”

 

“Finesse?” Kara gasps, when Diana’s fingers brush against the sides of her breasts. “So the — the first volume is about how to be a tease?”

 

She can feel Diana’s lopsided smirk against the back of her shoulder. “Not quite.” Her fingers are still trailing feather-light along Kara’s sides, making the blonde writhe. “Teasing is me teaching you how to shoot an arrow properly.” Kara’s attempted reply is foiled when Diana moves from soft butterfly kisses to a sharp nip at the nape of her neck. Her breath tickles Kara’s ear. “ _This_...this is foreplay.”

 

It’s a while before Kara gathers enough breath and brainpower to speak again. Diana’s moved on to her lower back, tracing the Greek alphabet on Kara’s skin. “You’ve been teasing me...the entire time?” she asks, attempting for indignant but only getting breathless. “I _knew_ it.”

 

“And yet it took you how long to find my bed?” Diana murmurs, grin wicked. She lets her fingers skim over Kara’s back, giving her ass a fond squeeze before moving down to her legs.

 

Kara whines. “ _Diana.”_ It’s overwhelming, the way Diana alternates from soft and light to sharp almost-pain, the most exquisite kind of torture. She tries to flip over but the Amazon holds her down.

 

“There are sensitive places everywhere,” she murmurs, as if Kara isn’t fit to burst from frustration. “Like here.” She presses a wet, hot kiss to the back of Kara’s knee. Kara gasps, leg jerking. “And here.” Nails drag down Kara’s thighs and her groan is muffled in the sheets.

 

“Diana, _please._ ” It feels like fire, soft fire. Without anything to distract, her entire body seems to balance on Diana’s fingertips, her mouth. Oh, that _mouth_. Every touch is a stone thrown in a pond, ripples of heat shuddering along her limbs. “I’m dying.”

 

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Diana chuckles, but she slides off Kara’s legs. “On your back.”

 

Kara obeys, almost frantic. “Are we done with the first volume now?”

 

Diana laughs, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Kara, we’re on the fourth chapter.” Kara’s head hits the pillow and she groans. Diana gazes down at her naked body as if she’s deciding where to start on a four-course meal. “Unless you’d like to demonstrate your” — her eyes glint — “mastery of the material.”

 

Kara jerks upright. She’s breathless, lowering her voice on purpose. “Do you want to know what distracted me during the grappling match?”

 

Diana raises a single eyebrow. “Do tell.”

 

“You,” Kara begins. “I was thinking about you — ”

 

Diana’s smile is familiar; Kara can tell when she’s teasing now. “I never would have guessed.”

 

“ — underneath me,” Kara continues, narrowing her eyes at the Amazon. “But not grappling.”

 

“Ah.” Diana leans back on her haunches, pleased. “And you want to make that into reality?”

 

“I’m _going_ to make that into a reality,” Kara declares. She moves so that she’s kneeling, eye-to-eye with Diana. The boldness drops from her voice, turning to hesitant reverence. “May I kiss you?”

 

Diana laughs, husky, and reaches out to cup Kara’s cheek. They’re close, abruptly, noses brushing and sharing air. “You may.”

 

Kara nudges forward, eyes fluttering shut at the barest touch of Diana’s lips against her own. Her mouth is soft, pliable...and she tastes sweet, like nectar. Kara sighs. Her hands come to rest on Diana’s hips, stroking the bare skin just above the hem of her underwear.

 

“You’re going” — Diana presses forward between eager kisses — “to have to try a little harder” — her tongue swipes across Kara’s lower lip and the blonde gasps — “if you want me on my back.”

 

She pushes forward hard and Kara falls back against the mattress, Diana following. “We have time,” Kara mumbles against the press of Diana’s lips, arms thrown around her shoulders, “right?”

 

Diana’s knee presses between Kara’s legs, eliciting a sharp intake of breath. “I do,” she murmurs, drawing back. Kara pouts at the lack of contact. “I have the patience of the gods. _You_ , though…” She nudges her knee up higher.

 

“ _Fuck,_ ” Kara breathes, eyes squeezed shut. “Which chapter is about orgasms?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, it'll all be resolved soon....;)


	8. aim,

“What do you mean ‘that’s all for today’?!” Kara exclaims, jerking upright. Diana leans against the headboard, mirth shining in those star-pricked eyes.

 

“Learning new things takes time, Kara,” she says. “I didn’t teach you sword fighting in a day.”

 

“But that’s — I don’t —” Words escape her. “ _Why_? That’s — this isn’t —”

 

Diana leans in and gives her a quick kiss, just because. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

 

Kara considers this. “I’ll take that,” she decides. “But I — this isn’t sword fighting!” She fists her hands in the sheets. “Diana, I can’t wait a whole day! I can — I can barely wait a _minute_.”

 

“This isn’t sword fighting,” Diana reminds her, tone and expression utterly serious. “If anything, it’s more dangerous. There’s great potential to be hurt.”

 

Kara acquiesces to this logic, pouting. “...Okay.” A pause, as she gathers her courage. “Am I allowed to...can I, um, finish?” Her face burns. “Like, by myself?”

 

Diana gazes at her, amused. “I’m not going to stop you.”

 

“But you won’t help me,” Kara mutters, half to herself. The rain is letting up outside. At least she that means she can leave the palace, to flee from temptation.

 

Diana chuckles, reaching out to brush hair out of Kara’s face. “I won’t. Not until you finish reading this volume.”

 

“Oh, I have homework, too?” Kara sighs, but it’s pretense. It won’t hurt to have some material to work off of.

 

“Indeed,” Diana says, watching her reaction. “You’ll be tested on it tomorrow.”

 

“ _Tested_ on it?” Kara hesitates in asking the question. “...How, exactly?”

 

Diana climbs off the bed, and Kara gets a bit distracted by her legs. “I’m your teacher.” Diana smirks at her. “You’ll show me what you know.”

 

Kara leaves Diana’s bedroom dazed on the prospect of touching Diana, the first volume tucked under her arm and her clothes haphazardly arranged. The few Amazons she sees in the halls of the palace give her strange smiles when she passes, smiles that she doesn’t know how to interpret and doesn’t have the presence of mind to.

 

Kara hurries back to her room. The plan is simple: scratch her itch, read the book, sleep until tomorrow comes. Still, the best laid plans go awry. She barely gets the opportunity to drop the book off in her room before she finds herself recruited to help several Amazons repair a fallen bridge.

 

The rain has diminished to a slight drizzle, but the rising waters of the nearby river have knocked the pilings of the bridge loose. Aella is there, helping direct repair efforts. Her eyes light up when she spots Kara. “Kara!” Her eyes flick up and down Kara’s body and her tone turns amused. “Diana’s good, isn’t she?”

 

Kara blinks. “What?”

 

Aella laughs, catching the attention of a few other Amazons. “Little one, she was not very subtle.” She gestures to her own neck.

 

Kara  looks down. “ _Oh.”_ Hickeys, blooming like dark flowers, are scattered across her collarbone and neck. She presses at one experimentally, flinching at the unexpected, novel ache. No wonder everybody’s giving her strange looks. “I didn’t...I —”

 

Aella is kinder than Diana in that she takes mercy on a flustered Kara. “Don’t worry,” she reassures. “Diana’s always liked leaving marks.” Kara doesn’t know how to reply to that, overwhelmed by the information that this is _normal_ and that Diana has a history. Aella pats her on the shoulder. “She’s very fond of you, I can see.”

 

“She is?” Kara asks, perking up. Sure, Diana smiles at her. And she helped Kara take her clothes off and kissed her, but... _still._ Hearing it from somebody else is massively reassuring.

 

“Oh, yes.” Aella leans in closer, lowering her voice. “She’s spoken of you to her mother. Apparently she finds you...adorable.”

 

Kara can barely hold back her grin. “Really?” She ducks her head. Diana, princess of the Amazons, thinks she’s _adorable_. “Wow.”

 

“You needn't be so surprised,” Aella says. “Haven't you seen the way she smiles at you? I haven't seen her laugh the way she does with you in quite some time.”

 

Kara bites her lip, overwhelmed with this new information. “Wait, you said she’s always liked to leave marks?”

 

Aella grins and shakes her head. “That, you’re going to have to ask _her_ about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp...guess you'll have to wait another day...¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	9. fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> minimal editing on this one cuz I had a late shift at work, but I wanted you guys to finally get a...release (some of it, at least...;) I might come back and edit cuz I'm not totally satisfied with the vibe and some of the wording...eh. Either way, enjoy!

The first volume lies forgotten on the floor amidst the trail of discarded clothes that lead from the door to Diana’s bed.

 

The princess of the Amazons sighs, deep and relaxed and spread-eagled on the bed. “Focus, Diana,” Kara teases, and the woman beneath her laughs breathlessly.

 

“Don’t mock me,” she mumbles, eyes closed and smile loose on her lips. “Mockery is the product of a simple mind.”

 

Kara grins, nuzzling against Diana’s breast. The Amazon’s underwear and bra are long gone, hickeys blooming dark across her collarbone and on her throat. “Insulting me won’t get you anywhere,” Kara murmurs, flicking her tongue over the stiff point of Diana’s nipple. A stifled hum escapes from Diana’s mouth, back arching to press more firmly into Kara’s mouth.

 

“Mmm, who said I wanted to get anywhere?” Diana asks, fingers twisting into blonde hair. “Maybe I like it slow.” Kara lifts her head from Diana’s chest, eyes narrowed.

 

“Stop it.”

 

“Stop what?” Diana grins, eyebrows lifting. “Enjoying myself?” She tugs at Kara’s hair sharply.

 

The feeling is exquisite; Kara almost moans, eyes fluttering shut, before remembering what she’s doing with a start. She’s supposed to be making Diana a flustered mess, not the other way around. “Messing with me,” she accuses. “You just want me to stop teasing you.”

 

“It’s called _foreplay_ , Kara,” Diana reminds, fondly exasperated. “But I won’t complain if you want to keep going,” she adds, with a wink.

 

Kara huffs, fingers tapping on Diana’s stomach. They’ve been working their way through the first volume for the past hour, and Kara’s almost vibrating out of her skin with arousal. Annoyingly, Diana doesn’t appear as affected as she is. Maybe it’s time to see if appearances are truthful or not.

 

“You’re lucky I’m impatient,” she tells Diana, finally. “And that I like you so much.”

 

Diana chuckles, nudging her legs apart at Kara’s direction. “I’ll be sure to include Lady Luck in my prayers next time.”

 

Kara doesn’t respond to that, biting her lip at the sight between Diana’s legs. “Fuck,” she mutters.

 

“What can I say?” Diana exhales, shuddering, as Kara drags the tip of her finger through her slick folds. “You’re a — a fast learner.” _Finally._ Kara grins in triumph; for once, Diana doesn’t sound put together like she’s talking about fighting techniques and not naked under Kara’s hands.

 

“Why, thank you.” Kara beams, marveling at the slickness that coats her finger. Her voice falters, awed. “You’re so beautiful.”

 

“You’re too kind,” Diana mumbles, the twitch in her hips belying her faltering patience. “And eager.” She sits up, grabbing Kara’s wrist and tugging her close. “Since we’re skipping ahead…”

 

Kara’s heart stops dead. Lashes lowered, smirk sinful and knowing, Diana takes Kara’s finger into her mouth and sucks on it, tongue swirling. Kara whimpers. Diana releases her hand, grinning, and pushes an extremely willing Kara down on her back.

“Let me show you how it’s done.”

 

Kara’s so worked up that Diana doesn’t even bother with the thoughtfully provided container of lube on the side table. Her fingers, those long, deft fingers, slip between Kara’s legs and find her more than eager. Diana leans in close, by Kara’s ear. “Did you take care of yourself yesterday?” she asks, casually, as if talking about the weather.

 

“Y-yeah,” Kara breathes, clutching at Diana’s shoulder. Her nails dig into flexing muscle and for once, she doesn’t have to hold back.

 

“Tell me.” Diana strokes her, fingers slick, parting her lips and brushing, light, delicate, over her clit. Kara shudders, breath choked. “Kara,” Diana encourages.

 

Kara swallows hard. “I, uh, imagined you, touching me, and…” A sharp inhale. “And —” Diana’s breasts brush her own, skin on skin. She loses her train of thought.

 

“Focus, Kara.” Diana smirks and presses an open-mouthed kiss against her neck as she continues to tease at Kara’s entrance, playing, enjoying the gathering wetness at her fingertips. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

 

Kara groans and pulls at Diana’s arm. She barely budges, forearm tense and immovable. “Diana, just — _fuck me,_ please, I can’t focus right now —”

 

“Kara,” Diana reprimands, voice gravelly. “Sex is all about communication. Tell me what you want.” Her fingers stroke far too gentle, far too slow. “Do you want me to make love to you?” She presses close, bodies brushing, words hot and loud in Kara’s ear. Her hair tickles Kara’s skin. Kara gasps and pulls her closer, aching at each growled word. “Or did you imagine me taking you? Do you want me to be rough, Kara? Until you can’t walk?”

 

“ _Yes,_ ” Kara pleads, and she can’t think straight, can’t do anything, can’t get her words in order, can’t get Diana to _move._ “ _Diana,_ fuck me, god, _please._ ”

 

“Hard?” Diana murmurs, digging her nails into the inside of Kara’s thigh, the soft, squishy part. Kara gasps, sharp, hips jerking upward. The pain — _actual_ pain — goes straight between her legs and _god, that’s never been a_ **_thing_ ** _before._ “Or soft?” Diana nudges a cotton-soft kiss at the sensitive spot behind Kara’s ear, where she smells like sunny vanilla.

 

“Hard,” Kara breathes, and gets a hint of smirk from Diana before she pulls back to look her in the eye.

 

Her head’s tilted, jaunty, smug smile on her lips. Kara would kiss that look off her if she had her own brain together. “Gladly.”

 

Her fingers — two, she knows Kara so well already — are long and slide easily between Kara’s open legs. It’s forceful, just enough to steal Kara’s breath away, just enough to soothe the ache for a moment between thrusts. “ _Oh. Diana — ”_

 

Diana curls her fingers and Kara forgets how to breathe, entire body twisting tight into a coil of pleasure. She finds fistfuls of bedsheets and grips tight, other hand digging into Diana’s shoulder. The bedframe groans. She’s moving fast, Kara’s hips seeking to meet each thrust of her hand, but it’s still not enough.

 

“ _Harder,_ ” she gasps, and Diana huffs, laughing, in her ear.

 

“Of course, γλυκιά μου.” She speeds up, fingertips finding that sweet, lovely spot, and Kara cries out. “Like that?”

 

The sheets are sliding off the mattress, sweat is gathering in the small of her back, and she’s so _close._ “Yes,” Kara pants, bumping Diana’s forehead with her own. The Amazon is grinning, hand still pumping between Kara’s legs, and “Please. _Diana_. I’m  —”

 

It’s the beginning of the descent, like the moment in a rollercoaster when she sees the hill but hasn’t gone down it yet: the tug in her gut, the swoop of adrenaline, the sudden pound of her heart. It gathers, storm clouds and pulsing pleasure, quick and bright. “Let go for me, Kara,” Diana whispers, and Kara obeys.

 

“ _Diana!”_

 

Her gasp hovers in the humming air around them. Her nails dig into Diana’s shoulder and she clenches, throbs around Diana’s fingers. “Shh, shhh,” Diana soothes, pulling her orgasm along, drawing it out with gentle undulations. Kara finds moisture at the corners of her eyes when she finally opens them, releasing a pent, tense breath.

 

“...Damn.” She squirms when Diana removes her hand, trailing her fingers up Kara’s stomach and leaving a glistening trail. “Stop looking so...smug,” she mutters, still out of breath. Diana tilts her head to the side.

 

“Smug? I just made you come.” She presses a kiss to the corner of Kara’s mouth. “I think I have the right to look a _little_ smug.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> γλυκιά μου - according to google translate, is "my sweet" in Greek
> 
> props to you if you caught my reference.
> 
> next up: close quarters, part two


	10. close quarters, pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is what I used my lunch break for....anyways. Enjoy! I'll probably update again on Sunday, cuz I haven't written anything past this whoops

“Okay, so communication, right?” Kara asks, when she’s caught her breath.

 

Diana nods. They’re lying on their sides, facing each other, careless and relaxed in the tangle and mess of sheets and pillows on the bed. Diana’s exploring Kara’s body, mapping out the curves and secret flex of muscles. She marvels at Kara's smooth, unmarked skin, at her lack of scars. “What about it?”

 

Kara shivers when Diana finds a sensitive spot along her ribcage. “I came already.” There are red nail marks in Diana’s shoulder, already fading. Kara runs her fingers over them. “Tell me what _you_ want.”

 

Diana thinks for a moment, fingers idling along Kara’s ribs. “I want you to beat me in a fight,” she decides. There’s a glint in her eyes that may be from the torchlight. Kara can’t be sure. “And of course, to the winner goes the spoils.”

 

A lazy wink. Kara pauses, anticipation settling into her gut. “Wait, you want….on the practice field?” _With all the Amazons watching?_ goes unspoken.

 

Diana smiles, slow and feline. “It’s nothing most of them haven’t seen…or experienced before,” she murmurs, “but don’t worry. We’ll have our own space, across the island.” Her hand slips down, to draw ticklish symbols on Kara’s thigh. “We won’t be bothered there.”

 

It’s a lot of information to take in. Diana chuckles at her expression. Her smile is innocent but she’s slowly working Kara back up, taking advantage of her sensitivity until she’s wound tighter than a bowstring. Kara stammers. “You— Aella said that you — you’ve always liked to leave marks.”

 

Diana raises a languid eyebrow, hands moving with slow purpose. “Mmhmm?”

 

Kara struggles to put it into a question. Diana’s hand is drawing circles now, slipping lower and lower. “Um, uh — why?” Diana pauses for a moment, and Kara almost whines.

 

“Why?” Diana considers the question like she’s never been asked. “We...Amazons view battle scars as something to be proud of. As a history, living proof of a deed.” Her hand continues its journey. Kara’s breathing starts to go shallow. “Leaving marks is just...another way of proof. Of saying, _we did this...and enjoyed it._ ” She gives Kara a smile, one that’s far too innocent for somebody who’s slowing working her hand between Kara’s legs. Again. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

 

Kara nods, head jerking quick. “Oh” — Diana’s hand moves lower, Kara gasps — “ _yes_.”

 

\-- -- -- -- -- 

 

They arrive at a field on the far side of the island just past noon, when the sun beats down in a cloudless bleached blue sky. The grass is tall, rising thick and swaying just under Kara’s shoulders. Wildflowers, yellow and white and pink and orange, spring up in raggedy clumps. Diana picks a golden one and tucks it behind Kara’s ear. “For luck,” she murmurs. Kara tries hard to keep the blush from her cheeks.

 

“I won’t need it,” she declares. Diana just smiles at her, and doesn’t say anything.

 

In the center of the field is a circle of flattened grass, big enough for two people to spar in comfortably. Kara takes the far side, using the time to gather her thoughts. She fingers the flower behind her ear. Diana’s been throwing her off, flustering her, making her feel teenage-y all over again. Kara’s not going to let her win with just a smile and lowered lashes. It’s time to turn the tables.

 

When she turns around, expression schooled into one of calm determination, Diana’s already in the center of the circle. The Amazon raises an eyebrow. Kara refuses the rising embarrassment and meets her midway.

 

Diana notes her lack of weaponry with a casual glance. The Amazon herself is toting a sword and shield, classic Wonder Woman armor glinting in the sun. Kara raises her fists.

 

“No sword?” Diana inquires, blade raised and shield up. They circle, slow like lionesses on the hunt.

 

Kara feels the familiar weight of her cape swinging behind her and curses herself for wearing her suit; she hasn’t fought Diana before with it on. “Like you said.” Kara tilts her head up, a challenge. “Sword fighting is just a foundation for a good fighter.”

 

Diana doesn’t let her finish. She lunges forward with a swipe, testing Kara’s reflexes. Kara leans out of the way with fluid ease, heart pounding. They settle back into patience, still circling. It’s a waiting game, Kara reminds herself. You wait, and watch. She’s watched Diana enough to know her tells, how she’ll glance in the direction she’s going to go in, how her grip tightens on the sword hilt right before she strikes. The way she raises her shield in anticipation for a blow.

 

Kara takes a step to the left, waits the millisecond it takes for Diana to start blocking in that direction, and then sweeps around her right side, dust flying in her wake.

 

Superspeed isn’t cheating, Diana had told her. And it isn’t, not when she’s fighting Wonder Woman. Diana’s there to meet her punch, and her fist glances off metal. “Good,” Diana grunts, and Kara ducks back to avoid the blade. She can feel the air as it whizzes by her arm. “You’re getting better at using your powers.”

 

“Thank you.” Kara grins. Diana lunges. Kara dodges to the side, the blade passing by her. A hard chop at Diana’s hand, and the sword goes flying. She swings, a haymaker that’s far too wild (Alex would _kill_ her) and leaves a dent in the side of Diana’s shield.

 

Diana raises an eyebrow, Kara opens her mouth to retort, and then Diana moves down low and sweeps her legs out from under her.

 

Kara scrambles back up, soaring into the air and out of Diana’s reach before Diana can end the match early. “I knew you were going to do that,” Kara accuses. Diana’s got her sword in hand again. She only offers Kara a cocky grin.

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

Kara goes for another approach. She’s faster than Diana — by just a little — and that shield can only hold up to so many blows. A feint right, then she slips into Diana’s guard. The Amazon throws up her shield just in time, but Kara’s next uppercut sends it shooting away, arcing up into the sky and into the forest somewhere. “Whoops,” she mutters, teeth flashing, as she presses the advantage. Diana twists out of the way of a fierce jab, hooking her leg around Kara’s and sending them both sprawling on the ground.

 

Her blade’s useless in such close quarters, but Kara hadn’t reckoned on its other uses. Diana hits her in the jaw with the pommel. Kara sees stars, barely rolling out of the way as the sword slices through the air and past her face. Their legs are still tangled together and Kara trips Diana, both trying to get to their feet. Diana scores a cut along her calf for that. In return, Kara kicks the sword out of her hand. The blade folds, an imprint of her boot in the metal, and goes flying into the tall grass.

 

“Now we’re even,” she huffs, wiping sweat from her forehead and hair out of her face. Diana staggers to her feet. She’s grinning, that little smirk of ‘oh no, you didn’t’ hovering on her lips.

 

“You’re still holding back,” is the first thing she says, flexing her fingers into fists. Her eyebrows knit together, expression fierce. “ _Fight me,_ Kara.”

 

Kara hesitates. Her first, and last, mistake.

 

Diana’s fist connects with her face. The blow sends her staggering, but only for a moment; Diana’s next punch swings through empty air. Kara tackles her, shoulder leading, and hears the air leave Diana’s lungs. They’re on the ground again, somehow. “Good,” the Amazon gasps, rolling out of the way of Kara’s next punch. Her fist sends a puff of dust up from the ground, the earth cracking. “Still not enough.”  


She shoves upwards and tackles Kara. They go rolling across the circle, tussling for control. Kara gives Diana a good scratch along her arm. Diana gives her a nice black eye as repayment. The come to a stop at the edge of the circle, Kara pinned under Diana.

 

“Nice try,” the Amazon pants, grinning. Her hand is wrapped around Kara’s throat, thumb pressing up at the softness under her chin. “But —”

 

Kara headbutts her. Diana lets go of her throat, hand flying up instinctively to protect herself, and Kara squirms out from under her. Diana doesn’t the chance to recover; Kara’s knee presses hard at the small of her back and her cheek is pressed against the dirt. Kara grins. Diana can’t get out of this — arm twisted behind her back, legs trapped.

 

“Do you surrender?” she asks, victorious. Diana doesn’t answer at once, and Kara leans down, grinning. “Diana.” A huff of laughter from the Amazon.

 

“You never fail to surprise me, Kara.” Her voice is muffled against the ground, but Kara can tell that she’s smiling. “I surrender.”

 

Kara releases her, settling back on her haunches. Diana doesn’t get up, just rolls over onto her back. Her nose is bleeding and there’s a darkening bruise along her jaw. Kara gasps. “Oh, gods, you’re bleeding! I’m so sorry —”

 

“ _Kara,_ ” Diana mutters, fondly irate, “stop. We fought. You did well. I’d be more angry if I weren’t bleeding.” She touches under her nose, examining the blood. “And it’s not like you’re not hurt, either.”

 

Kara has to acquiesce to that. The cut along her calf is weeping blood, long streaks of red dripping down her leg. She can feel a pulse in her head as bruises start to form. “I won,” she marvels, half to herself. She catches Diana’s eye, a thrill of anticipation running down her limbs. “Now what?”

 

“Like I said,” Diana murmurs, leaning back on her arms. Bloodied, dirty, fresh off of battle adrenaline, she looks the picture of beauty. Small shadows gather in the dips of her collarbone and Kara imagines exploring the darkness with her tongue. Diana laughs, breathless, voice low. “To the winner go the spoils.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fighting scenes are both hard and fun to write. Their spatial location is even more confusing than smut; like, where are the bodies? what's going on? how do you even describe that?! how many more words can I find to describe a sword or a punch?? 
> 
> yeah, well. Lemme know what you thought!


	11. the spoils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> late but we made it! Enjoy :D

Diana can feel every individual blade of grass pressed up against her back. The sun warming the bare skin of her stomach. The curving smile along Kara’s lips pressed against her inner thigh. The feeling of thick blonde hair twisted in her hands…

 

“Like this?” Kara mumbles, and a soft throb of pleasure makes Diana gasp.

 

“ _Yes_.” Diana arches her back, pressing herself more firmly against Kara’s mouth. Her heels skid off of Kara’s back and the blonde groans, laughing.

 

“You’re trying to leave bruises, aren’t you?” Her tongue traces the hood of Diana’s clit and steals the answer from her lungs. “They’ll be gone before we get back.”

 

Diana huffs, breathy and distracted. She tugs at Kara’s hair. “Then I’ll be sure to leave more.”

 

“Is that a threat?” Kara asks. She’s playing, dragging her tongue through Diana’s arousal with quiet, slick sounds. Diana shudders. The way Kara flicks the tip of her tongue across Diana’s labia, the gentle waves of soft, sweet bliss that are building towards something deep…. “You already know I can beat you in a fight.”

 

“Mmm, is that right?” Conversation is becoming difficult. Diana had asked Kara to draw it out, to delay, to bring it to the point of torture….Her hands fist in the crimson fabric of Kara’s cape, so thoughtfully laid out underneath her lower body. “Ohh. _Kara…_ ”

 

Just as the pleasure begins to build, threatening that little death, Kara pulls away. Diana exhales, ragged and half-disappointed. “Remember,” Kara murmurs, dragging wet, sloppy kisses up her stomach, “you asked me to do this.” Diana’s mouth turns down at the corners but her reply is pressed to silence against Kara’s lips.

 

Diana can taste herself, that faintly metallic musk. “I know,” she mumbles, hands sliding over Kara’s suit, not liking the material that gets in the way of touching bare skin. She grips Kara’s ass and pulls her close, back arching into her body when a warm thigh settles between her legs.

 

Kara draws away for a moment, expression bemused. She licks her bottom lip. “Your blood is sweet,” she marvels.

 

Diana laughs, the sound ringing sweet and clear across the field. Her nose had stopped bleeding a few minutes ago. “You’re tasting my blood? Are you a batman?”

 

Kara’s face scrunches up. “ _What_?”

 

Diana traces the outline of her fist against Kara’s face, the black eye already healing in the afternoon sun. “One of those creatures, that feed on blood and turn into bats. That teenage girls are obsessed with.”

 

Kara blinks. “A vampire.”

 

“Ah, yes.” Diana nods sagely. “My blood tastes sweet because it’s ichor. Blood of the gods.”

 

Kara’s fingers skim along the darkening bruise on Diana’s jaw, other hand sliding down to play with a hardened nipple. “I always forget you’re a goddess,” she murmurs. “You’re always so grounded. I always imagined gods and goddesses as...assholes, honestly.” She shifts, thigh sliding easy on Diana’s arousal between her legs.

 

Diana’s laugh is breathless. “You say the sweetest things.”

 

“Only for you,” Kara shoots back, grinning. She begins to rock her thigh back and forth, jolts of pleasure gathering each time she brushes over Diana’s clit.

 

“Gods,” Diana groans, clutching at Kara. The blonde’s mouth is hot and wet and oh so _good_ on Diana’s chest, mixing pleasure and pain, leaving dark, vicious marks between suckling at her breasts. “Ah, _Kara_ , that’s not — it’s not _enough_ — ” Diana could certainly come from this — rutting like teenagers in the grass, bodies grinding and clutching at each other — but she wants Kara’s mouth back on her.

 

“Tell me what you want, then,” Kara breathes, delighted. Her fingers press against an unexpected bruise on Diana’s side and the Amazon hisses, brief ache swirling into a haze of pleasure.

 

“Your mouth,” Diana groans. “On me, now, _please_ , Kara —”

 

Thank _Hermes_ for superspeed. Kara settles between her legs with a wicked grin. “I like hearing you beg,” she murmurs, not breaking eye contact as she lowers her head.

 

“It’s not — begging,” Diana retorts. “It’s _asking._ ”

 

“You’re still talking,” Kara observes, voice muffled. Her tongue is so _strong._ Diana shudders and her grip tightens in Kara’s hair. “I must not be doing it right.”

 

“ _You’re_ the one who’s talking too much.” Diana flexes her thighs around Kara’s head, feeling her grin in response.

 

“Fine. Let me show you something I learned from a friend.”

 

Diana’s about to ask what kind of sex tips one learns from a friend when Kara’s tongue starts to _vibrate._ “ _Gods above,_ ” Diana gasps, entire body clenching. “ _Kara!”_ Her left hand digs into the earth, other hand buried in Kara’s hair. _So much for drawing it out,_ she thinks distantly. The orgasm is waves, aching and throbbing waves of pleasure that wash through her body like the sweep of intoxication but sweeter. _Zeus,_ she’s missed this.

 

She comes down to Kara laughing, eyes crinkled adorably and smile wide. “You’ve got grass in your hair.”

 

“You’re one to talk,” Diana mumbles, smiling. She feels pliant and quiet and sore, like waking up on a lazy morning to Midas-touched sunshine and perfect skies. She drags her fingers through Kara’s hair, enjoying the way Kara leans into her touch. “You’ve still got a black eye.”

 

Kara reaches up, touches it, winces. “Oh. It’ll heal soon.” She’s right; the ripe purple is starting to morph into jaundiced yellows and a lovely chartreuse that makes Diana want to giggle. “Seriously, though, you’ve got a lot of grass in your hair.” Diana shakes her hair out, and Kara giggles. “Yeah, no.”

 

Diana lifts her shoulders in a languid shrug, smile loose and fluid on her lips. “Well. There’s plenty of space in my bath…”

 

Kara's up and ready in a matter of seconds. She stares down at Diana, still sprawled out on the grass. "What are you waiting for?" She bounces on her feet and Diana can't do much but laugh, fondness warming her chest. "Let's go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Later: 
> 
> "so where'd you learn that tongue thing?"  
> "oh. um, Barry said it was good for massages -"  
> "Barry. Barry Allen?"  
> "...yes..?"  
> "I'll be sure to thank him next time we get together."


	12. parting,

It’s the morning of Kara’s departure, and they’re still in bed.

 

“What volume are we on?” she asks. Diana’s lying on her back and Kara’s koala-ed herself onto the warrior’s side, chin resting on her shoulder.

 

“Only the fifth,” Diana tells her, and the smirk that she sends Kara’s way is now familiar. “Out of twelve.”

 

“I guess I’ll have to come back, then,” Kara mumbles.

 

Diana makes a sound of agreement. Her hand is in Kara’s hair, nails scratching at her scalp, and it’s making Kara melt like butter in the oven. “Most definitely.”

 

Sun dapples the bed, slanting gold in through the window stealthily. The brightening glow is a reminder of passing time that they opt to ignore. Silence, broken by the sound of birdsong and vague shouts in the distance, settles gentle and comforting over the room. Kara traces the faint white scars on Diana’s torso:

 

the one under her ribs, a jagged white lightning scar;

 _Shrapnel in the Second World War,_ Diana had explained. _I was smuggling a family across German borders and we had to hide underground for two days before we could move. It almost got infected._

 

the curving thin line down her collarbone;

 _I fought Clark once._ Kara had cocked her head to the side. _Only once?_ Diana had laughed. _Well, many times. This was the only time that left a mark._

 

the little hash of scratch marks along her thigh;

 _Doomsday,_ she’d said, voice unusually solemn. Kara had nodded and they’d moved on.

 

the short scar that curves like a question mark on her shoulder;

 _When I was training with Antiope,_ Diana had explained. _My mother was furious at her for landing the blow, and then furious at me for not blocking it._ She’d laughed, eyes misty with memories. _That was the only time Antiope managed to hit me. She didn’t when I was young because of my mother, and then couldn’t, when I grew older._

 

the jagged slice along the inside of her thigh;

 _Cliff-climbing,_ Diana had laughed, wry. _From when I was much younger, and much more reckless. A friend dared me to jump onto an outcropping._ Kara had traced it, awed. _And you did?_ Diana had raised an eyebrow, a warning. _I missed._

 

and a little pale lopsided triangle under her jaw.

 _A building fell on me,_ she’d remembered. _Forty stories, in Metropolis._ Kara had touched it, wide-eyed. _And this was all you got?_ Diana had kissed her, secretive smile on her lips. _Goddess, remember?_

 

“I don’t have any scars,” Kara mutters, as Diana’s fingers run through her hair and threaten with drowsiness. “The yellow sun gets rid of them.”

 

“But you have memories,” Diana murmurs. “And those, in essence, are mental scars.”

 

Kara huffs out a chuckle. “They don’t sound very nice when you put it like that.”

 

“Good scars can happen, Kara.” Diana coils a lock of hair around her index finger. “What do you call them? C-sections? Those are good scars.”

 

Kara presses a kiss to Diana’s bare shoulder. “Do you consider any of your scars good?”

 

“Some of them, yes. Like this one.” She takes Kara’s hand and guides it to a little starburst of pale skin, two inches above her heart.

 

“What’s that from?” Kara doesn’t recall seeing it before, which is strange, considering how much time she’s spent worshipping Diana’s naked body. “You didn’t mention it last time.” She can feel Diana’s gaze resting on her. She doesn’t respond, enigmatic consideration mixing with caution on her face. Kara’s about to ask again when Diana finally speaks.

 

“You, Kara.” Kara’s hand stills on her skin. “From two days ago, when we were using spears.”

 

Kara sucks in a breath. “I’m —”

 

“ _Do not apologize,”_ Diana interrupts, irritation tempered by fond amusement. “ _Kara_. I just said it was a good scar, did I not?”

 

Kara purses her lips, chastised. “But I still hurt you,” she mutters, distraught. “I didn’t mean to.”

 

“What are tattoos, Kara?” Diana asks, out of the blue. Kara glances up at her, confused. “Those are purposeful injuries.”

 

“But it wasn’t purposeful,” Kara argues. “I didn’t _want_ to hurt you.” A beat. “Did you want me to hurt you?”

 

“Kara,” Diana sighs indulgently. “It doesn’t matter. I now have a scar from teaching you how to use a spear without jabbing your own eye out, and it’s only associated with good memories. There’s no need to concern yourself needlessly about it.”

 

Kara groans and buries her face in Diana’s shoulder. “Fine, but I’m still sorry.” She can feel Diana’s smile vibrate the air particles near her head.

 

“Would you like to make it up to me, then?” she suggests, with affectionate reluctance. She knows they won’t be getting out of bed anytime in the next few hours if Kara accepts.

 

Kara’s eyes light up. “Will you let me?”

 

Diana chuckles, and leans down to kiss Kara. It’s sweet and hot, like one of those spicy candies that the Flash loves to inhale. “We’ll have to find some way to make your cousin blush when he comes to get you, won’t we?” she mumbles, when she pulls away for breath.

 

Kara grins, wicked spark in her eyes. “Oh, _yes_. He won’t even be able to look at us when I’m done with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more to come....


	13. that sweet sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months pass. Kara meets a certain Luthor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's late and I'm tired out of my mind, but I wanted to get this up before I got drugged and my bones taken out of my face. Enjoy!

“Woah, what’s this?” Kara looks up from the box she’s digging through to find Lena gaping at the sword she pulls out from beneath the bed. “ _ Woah,  _ Kara, why do you have a  _ sword  _ under your bed?” She runs her fingers over the gilded hilt, squinting at the runes on the blade. “Afraid somebody’s going to storm your castle?” 

 

Kara races to think of an explanation. “I, um, a friend gave it to me. As a gift.”

 

_ Aella comes up to her while they’re preparing to leave, a group of Amazons behind her. She holds out a bundle that clanks of metal. “A parting gift,” she offers, smiling. “For the laughter you’ve brought to us.” Kara doesn’t miss the way her glance slides to Diana.  _

 

“A gift?” Lena narrows her eyes, inspecting the blade, the intricate twining strands of metal that make up the hilt and the jewel-shaped pommel. “This looks expensive. What does your friend do?” 

 

_ “We took inspiration from your crest,” Sofia, the island’s master blacksmith, explains. She holds up the bracers and the greaves. “The armor will work with your suit. Diana made sure.” Pride shines in her face. _

 

_ “You’re too kind,” Kara mumbles, blinking that irritating moisture in her eyes away. “I can’t thank you enough.”  _

 

“She’s...she’s a curator of antiquities.” Kara’s long since abandoned her search through the boxes for her old pictures. They’d started on a quest for Kara’s collection of old photos from elementary school. How have they managed to dig into other memories instead? “They, uh, had an extra.” 

 

_ Diana gives her the circlet, eyes soft. “I know you probably won’t get the chance to wear this. Somebody told me once that swords don’t go with civilian clothes.” She looks Kara up and down, smile affectionate and enough to make Kara’s chest squeeze. “This won’t go with your suit, but think of it more as a token. You’ll always be welcome here on Themyscira.”  _

 

_ Kara runs her fingers over her house crest embedded in delicate metalwork. She has no doubt the circlet will fit her perfectly. “Thank you,” she mutters, and is glad that Diana gathers her in an embrace before she gets the chance to cry in front of the entire island.  _

 

“An extra sword.” Lena looks at her, eyes squinty, but doesn’t press the issue. “Really, though, I was  _ not  _ expecting to find a sword under here. Of all things people keep under their beds….” She contemplates the sword, cautiously testing the blade with her fingernail. 

 

“Maybe I’m secretly a knight,” Kara tells her, serious. “It’s  _ Sir  _ Danvers to you.” 

 

Lena gives her a challenging look, testing the heft of the sword. “Mm, well, who has the sword?” She gets to her feet and swings the blade down in a controlled, small chopping motion. Kara watches, a bit intimidated and a bit — okay, a  _ lot  _ — attracted to her. Lena clears a space around her, grin spreading across her face. “It’s very well made.” She glances at Kara, curious. “Do you know how to use it?” 

 

Kara hesitates. “I — uh, yeah. A little.” She hasn’t touched a sword in a while, but just seeing Lena with it in her hands makes her palms itch. “Do you?” 

 

Lena twirls the sword in her hands, settling into a familiar posture: right foot back and braced, left foot forward and light. Kara stares. “I do.” Kara doesn’t doubt it; there’s an ease in which Lena wields the blade that she hasn’t seen in a long time. 

 

“How? Are  _ you  _ secretly a knight?” 

 

Lena chuckles, relaxing out of the fighting stance. “I  _ wish _ . No, I did some Renaissance Fair stuff in high school and college. I learned how to sword fight for fun there.” She glances at Kara, eyes shining with delight. “Got any more extra weapons lying around that I should know about?” 

 

Kara thinks to the pieces of armor stored neatly by her suit, the circlet with her crest on it, and the metal knuckles that she keeps in her purse. 

 

_ “And these,” Aella smiles, “because you like to fight with your fists.” Kara slips the iron knuckles on and grins, flexing her fingers. Diana rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face refuses to go away.  _

 

“ _ Don’t encourage her, Aella,” she chuckles. “It took long enough to get her to use a sword properly.”  _

 

“Not really. Alex says my puppy dog look can be certified as a weapon, though.” 

 

Lena gives the sword another swing. “I have to agree with her on that.” Kara doesn’t get the chance to ask what that means, distracted by Lena’s fancy swordwork. “Really, though, I can’t believe you have a  _ sword  _ under your bed.” She swings it again, delighted by the sound it makes as the blade swishes through the air. “You never fail to surprise me, Kara.”

 

Kara looks at Lena — makeup still on from work, wearing Kara’s sweatpants and her own Harvard debate team shirt, far too gleeful to be waving an Amazonian sword around — and smiles. 

 

_ “I’m going to miss this,” Kara murmurs, as the island recedes behind them. “Being around the Amazons. Getting to see what your life was like.” She glances at Diana. “You.” The thought of returning to modern life, so startling in comparison to Themyscira, makes her sigh. “I feel like normal people can’t even compare. I mean, I don’t know any people in National City who can handle a sword.” She thinks of the criminals, the lowlife, the villains. “How did you get used to Man’s world so quickly?”  _

 

_ There’s a history in Diana’s distant smile, sad but fond. “I found somebody who showed me how things worked.” She meets Kara’s gaze. “You’ll find somebody,” she murmurs. “Somebody who’ll fight by your side for what they believe in.” The sunlight glints off of her circlet. “When you do...keep them close.” Aged sorrow, mellowed by time but just as profound, echoes in her eyes. “You might not find somebody like them again for a long time.”  _

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

 

Kara blinks, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. “I’m not. What?” 

 

Lena gives her a curious, concerned look. “Are you all right, Kara? You’ve been quiet ever since I found this.” 

 

Kara shakes her head, smiling. “No, I’m fine, it’s just...memories. Good memories.” 

 

Lena hefts the sword again. “Hmm. Well, I have to meet this friend now.” She twirls the blade in her hand, beaming. “Maybe she can give me an extra sword, too?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been informed that they are, in fact, not bones, but enamel. Teeth, schmeeth. whatever. 
> 
> second-to-last chapter!


	14. what are friends for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final stretch! enjoy!

She's in the middle of editing an article when her phone pings. 

 

[Diana]: Meet me on the roof.

 

Kara bursts onto the gravel rooftop and flies into Diana’s open arms.

 

“I missed you,” she mumbles, clutching the Amazon with a fierce intensity that she gets to use with few others. “It’s been too long.”

 

“I missed you, too, Kara.” Diana’s smile is sweet and fond, eyes sparkling. “You didn’t come visit me.”

 

“I tried!” Kara exclaims, looking up at her. “Aella told me you were off-planet. _Clark_ didn’t even know.”

 

“Oh, that.” Diana has the sense to look chagrined. “Apologies. I forgot to tell him about that.” She moves back so she can look at the entirety of Kara. “Is this what you wear when you’re Kara Danvers?”

 

Kara looks down at her Oxford shirt and pants. “Um, yeah, it’s just, what I normally wear, the regular ensemble, all that,” she babbles. “What are _you_ wearing? I didn’t know you were coming, I would’ve gotten out of work! Why — what brings you to National City?”

 

“You,” Diana says. It takes Kara a moment to realize she’s not joking. “The G7 summit ended early, hence the outfit” — she gestures to the white power suit she’s wearing, now slightly rumpled from Kara’s embrace — “and I decided to drop by.” Her smile widens. “I also hear that you have lady problems.”

 

Kara shoves her glasses up her nose. “ _Well,_ um, they’re not — it’s not, really, um, a problem, per se, but if you could —” She takes a breath and continues. “Lena’s a really good friend, and I don’t know if she would say yes if I asked her out. I don’t know if — if she’s even gay, or even attracted to me. And I don’t want to ruin our friendship if I ask and she says no, because I’m like her a _lot_ and I’m pretty sure I’m her only close friend in the entire _city —_ ”

 

“Kara,” Diana interrupts, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You like her, yes?”

 

Kara’s head jerks up and down like a bobblehead in an earthquake. “Yes. I — I really do.”

 

Diana smiles, eyebrow quirking up. “Does she know who you really are?”

 

Kara looks down, expression wry. “Uh, yeah. She told me that my disguise was, um….ineffectual.” She messes with her glasses, looking put-out. “Even though it was cute.”

 

Diana nudges Kara’s glasses up, gentle. Kara looks up at her, shy, glowing smile on her face. “I happen to agree,” she murmurs. Kara’s eyes flicker down to Diana’s mouth and the Amazon laughs, the sound husky. Her hand cups Kara’s jawline. “You haven't asked her out yet. Do you mind…?” Her pupils are dilated and eyes hooded, and suddenly the rest of National City fades away.

 

Kara fiddles with her glasses, blinking fast, grin wide. “No, um, not at all.” She tilts her head up, fingers resting on Diana’s wrist. The space between them vanishes in small bits, little pieces, and then Diana’s lips are on Kara’s and it’s all she can do to not completely melt in the Amazon’s arms.

 

Kara doesn’t know how much she misses it until Diana kisses her — tender, sweet, mixed with something achingly affectionate — and tears spring to her eyes. She tilts her head to the side. Diana’s mouth fits easy and nice against hers. “I missed you so much,” Kara mumbles, when they pull away, foreheads resting against each other. Her fingers fumble on Diana’s collar, expression downcast. “But —”

 

“I understand,” Diana cuts her off. “You’ve been taught all your life that monogamy is the only option.” Her smile is understanding, but not unhappy. “May I meet this Lena?” Her eyes flash mischievously. “I can help you figure out if she is into you or not.”

 

Kara beams. “Oh, yes. She’s actually a big fan of yours; she has your United Nations address saved on her computer. She listens to it when she’s in a bad mood or stressed out.”

 

“I can see why you like her so much,” Diana chuckles, smoothing out her jacket. “Shall we?”

 

[Kara]: Heyyyy you’re never going to guess who’s in town today

[Lena]: Who?

[Kara]: You’ll find out at dinner tonight!! It’s a Friday, no excuses

[Lena]: I would never

[Lena]: ;) just tell me when and where

 

Lena does a double-take when she spots who’s sitting at the table beside Kara. “Is this —” She squints, opens her mouth, closes it. Kara’s grin never diminishes. Lena composes herself with obvious effort and clears her throat. “Diana Prince?”

 

Diana stands, grasping Lena’s hand and planting a kiss on the back of it. Lena’s eyes widen until she looks like she’s seen a ghost, spots of red rising to her cheeks. “Lena Luthor. Delighted to finally make your acquaintance.”

 

Kara pulls out a chair for Lena before she gets the chance to even look faint. Lena clears her throat and stares at her own hand for a bit too long before snapping out of it. “Sorry, did you say _finally_?” She looks at Kara for an explanation.

 

“Do you remember that sword under my bed?”

 

“ _Ohmygod you’re friends with Wonder Woman_ ,” Lena exhales. “I should’ve — Kara, holy — okay.” She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. Kara meets Diana’s eyes uncertainly. Diana nods, reaching out to grab her hand as a reassurance before recalling where they are. Lena opens her eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just...” She exhales heavily, smile growing wider. “You know who I am already. That’s...you’re a _huge_ role model of mine. Like, the biggest.” She glances sharply at Kara, still in awe. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier you were friends with Ambassador Prince?”

 

Diana cuts in. “You can call me Diana, Ms. Luthor.” Kara thanks Diana silently for that; she doesn’t have a good answer to Lena’s question. “And I’m afraid there were some dangerous situations at the time. Very few people were authorized to publicly associate with me.”

 

Lena nods, mind whirring. “Well, if you’re going by Diana…” The color in Lena’s cheeks returns. “Just Lena is fine.”

 

Diana gives her a dazzling smile, one that Kara remembers all too well being at the other end of. The faint flush in Lena’s cheeks deepens. “Lena it is, then. Kara told me this was your favorite restaurant. What would you recommend?”

 

Lena’s eyes light up and she gives Kara a quick, immensely grateful smile before turning to the menu. Kara chuckles. Here she goes. “It depends on what you’re in the mood for, really. The seafood, that’s quite good, especially the tilapia, but there’s a much better place down at the wharf. Now, the steak is to _die_ for…”

 

They end up in Kara’s apartment after three hours of intense debate on topics from pineapple on pizza to the state of the government in Russia to the treatment of immigrants in America. It's a lively debate; Kara doesn't think she's laughed this much or this hard in a long time. Lena can't seem to stop smiling. 

 

Lena and Diana are laughing like old friends. Kara's never seen Lena simultaneously so ecstatic and flustered, occasionally tripping over her own words just to get an idea out. Just watching the two interact...Kara's stricken at the idea of choosing between them. Not that she really has to. She’s already made the decision, or at least told Diana of it.

 

Following through with it….

 

Lena giggles, a bit tipsy from the champagne at dinner, and Diana helps her inside, smiling that damn smile that neither Kara nor Lena seem to be impervious to. “Careful,” she murmurs, when Lena wobbles a little on her heels. Her hand falls on Lena’s waist. “You’re not falling on my watch.” Lena just smirks, in that way that leaves Kara stammering in her wake.

 

….that’s gonna be a little harder.

 

Lena thanks Diana, voice low, and then spots Kara, who’s setting her own stuff down on the counter. “Kara!” She leans in far too close, smile loose on her face. “You’re the best. I still can’t believe you know Diana. Thank you so much.” Lena presses a quick kiss to her cheek, and _oh,_ this is so unfair. She’s trapped between Lena’s kiss and Diana’s smile and doesn’t want to make a choice.

 

“No problem,” she mumbles, her own smile feeling shaky.

 

Lena frowns but doesn’t push the subject, declaring that she’ll right be back. When the bathroom door closes behind her, Diana sidles up. “You should ask her out,” she murmurs.

 

“What, like — now?” Kara stares at Diana, who barely blinks.

 

“Why not?”

 

It’s not jealousy. Kara’s not the jealous type. No, this is... _greed,_ at the best. She wants them both: doesn’t want to let go of Diana; doesn’t want to be “just friends” with Lena. “Well — I —”

 

Understanding warms Diana’s expression. “I can leave, if you’d  —”

 

“ _No,_ no, don’t go. I, sure. Yeah. I’ll do it now.” Kara takes a breath. This is it, this is the choice. She doesn’t know how things will fall out afterwards, but…. “Diana?”

 

“Ye—” Kara catches her mid-turn, noses bumping. Diana tastes like strawberries, from dessert. Kara closes her eyes, tries to imprint the feelings in her brain forever: Diana’s soft hair in her hands, the way she kisses so tenderly, the delicate push and pull, like fighting a battle. Memories….they might be all she has after this.

 

“For luck,” Kara breathes, pulling away when she hears Lena reach for the doorknob. Diana stares at her, and Kara looks away before Diana can realize what she’s thinking. “Lena.”

 

The CEO glances up, closing the door behind her. “Hmm?” Kara hesitates, and Lena squints at them both. “Why do you both look like parents about to scold their child?”

 

Kara fights the constriction of her ribcage at the thought and forges on. “I was wondering if you’d...like to go on a date with me?” She can feel Diana move away subtly, to give them room. Lena narrows her eyes, baffled.

 

“You — but —” She shakes her head, smile confused. “Aren’t _you_ two dating?”

 

Kara hears Diana turn back around. “Pardon?”

 

Lena gives them both a wry look, and Kara can tell from the downturn of her lips that she’s a bit hurt. Well, fudge. “You two don’t wear the same shade of lipstick. It’s pretty obvious.”

 

Kara wipes at her mouth discreetly, glaring at the floor. “That doesn’t — mean anything.”

 

“You’re not just _friends,”_ Lena mutters, unfazed. “Don’t lie to me, Kara, I can tell when you are.”

 

Kara abandons that avenue of thought. “Well — I — I really do want to go out on a date with you, Lena. Diana, she was” — this is embarrassing; somehow she’s _still_ blushing like mad in Diana’s presence — “helping me out. To see if you were interested in me.”

 

Lena’s brows knit together. “But you’re _not_ just friends.”

 

Kara meets Diana’s eyes. There’s nothing there but encouragement, and she exhales. “No. We’re not just friends.”

 

Lena straightens up, expression turning businesslike. “Well. I don’t see why we can’t all just date each other, then.”

 

Diana quirks an eyebrow, small smile belying her own amusement. “Finally, a woman with some sense.”

 

Lena cracks a nervous grin. “It’s only logical, isn’t it?”

 

“I agree completely.” Diana nods, looking self-satisfied. “It’s like how they say — sharing is caring.”

 

Kara interjects, waving her hands around. “Okay, okay, wait. Somebody _please_ explain to me what’s going on right now.”

 

“A threesome, Kara,” Lena jokes, wiggling her eyebrows. “Polyamory. That’s what they do on Themyscira, right?”

 

Diana nods, impressed. “Indeed. I’m not opposed to the idea.” She touches Kara’s shoulder, voice soft. “I know you were bothered by the idea of choosing between us.”

 

Kara’s head jerks up. “How did you know?”

 

“You kissed me like you were saying goodbye.” Diana wipes a smear of lipstick off of the corner of Kara’s mouth, smile bittersweet. “It doesn’t have to be one, you know.”

 

“Kara.” Lena moves closer, and Kara gets a glimpse of the doubt and uncertainty that she’s trying so hard to hide under humor. “It was just a suggestion. If you’re not comfortable with it…”

 

Kara shakes her head sharply. “No, I’m...I’m okay with this. _Definitely_.” She looks at the woman she loves to the woman she’s falling for, and the smile that spreads across her face is helplessly fond. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

_Later..._

 

“Do you think this is going to work?” Lena asks, leaning heavily against Diana as she runs her fingers through dark hair.

 

“What, us?” Lena nods. Kara’s making them hot chocolate in the kitchen, puttering around with indomitable purpose. Diana contemplates the question. “Love is a battle, Lena. Life can try to beat it out of you, but…” Her glance flicks to Kara. “As long as you don’t drop your sword” — Kara shoots her a glare from the kitchen, which she returns with a grin — “and keep your wits about you…” She looks down at Lena, and thinks of her own words to Kara. _If you find somebody who’ll fight at your side for their beliefs...keep them close._

 

Diana smiles. “I think we’ll do just fine.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, guys! I've had so much fun writing this and every one of your kind words made my day :)
> 
> this'll be the end of this fic, but I've left it open-ended for a reason. Can you imagine what kind of shenanigans these three would get into? Maybe something to explore in the future ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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